Take Mum Out

by Fiona Gibson

[Leah]

When I was offered the chance to review Fiona Gibson’s latest novel Take Mum Out, I thought it sounded really interesting. I’d really, really enjoyed Gibson’s novel Lucky Girl a few years ago, and I enjoyed her first novel with Avon Mum on the Run, but it didn’t blow me away. I rather preferred the somewhat serious tale of Lucky Girl and so Fiona’s past couple of novels have passed me by as they’re all mum-related. I’m not a mum, I have no interest in being a mum (possibly ever) so I don’t read many mum-centric books because they’re just not my kind of book. But I do love Gibson’s writing so I said yes to reviewing Take Mum Out, and I very much enjoyed it!

I thought the premise of Take Mum Out was excellent, as we see Alice dipping her toes back into the dating waters after eighteeen months since her last date. Her three best friends will all pick somebody they think Alice will like – including a dentist, a writer, and an intern – and Alice will see if she hits it off with any of these men. But with two teenage boys, quickly turning in to men, her dating life doesn’t get off to the best start, especially when her son Fergus asks why she’s bothering to date again, and Alice herself finds herself wondering the exact same question. Why bother with something like dating when she’s quite content by herself? But sometimes it’s nice to have a fella in your life, and so Alice takes the plunge, and goes on three blind dates, but will any of the men take her interest, or will she just have to go for the Meringues?

I have to admit that I only started reading Take Mum Out by accident – I was sitting on my bed, looking at my recent books and seeing if anything took my fancy and this did straightaway. I was quite intrigued as to why Alice had a health inspector around poking around her kitchen, as it turned out, Alice was opening up a business selling meringues to local restaurants and needed the a-okay. I admit, I was very interested in the whole meringue business. I don’t like them myself, I didn’t even know they were a popular food item, and I certainly wasn’t aware you can flavour them, but that’s what I took away from Take Mum Out! Sadly, though, the book wasn’t always focused on meringues, which was a shame as I quite liked hearing about them. Mostly because I love books about people starting their own businesses, especially when it’s food related. Rather bizarrely, I also find I don’t actually have much to say about the novel. It was one of those books where nothing extraordinary seemed to happen, but I seemed to enjoy it nonetheles. It was, rather simply, a novel about a woman starting to date again. That was it. But for some reason, it kept me reading!

I really love Fiona Gibson’s writing, I think she’s SUCH a talented writer, I just wish she would stretch her writing chops a bit more. I remember Lucky Girl and I wish she would write something like that again! There’s nothing wrong with Take Mum Out, don’t get me wrong, but it’s all painting by numbers stuff, although I very much enjoyed getting to know Alice’s two kids Fergus and Logan – it is SO refreshing to read about teens who aren’t awful and it goes to show that just because you are a single mother doesn’t mean your kids are going to turn out bad (although there are a few instances where the kids aren’t perfect, don’t get me wrong). I felt they were a credit to Alice, and I had no clue how she managed to do everything and STILL find time to date – what with working, meringue making, taking care of her kids, sleeping… She still had time to date. I’d be exhausted, I’m sure! I did quite enjoy the dates, I just wish had been a little bit more time spent on the romance that we got. This is the second book in a row I’ve read where the romance just comes out of left field, when I feel there should have been more time spent building it up. But I enjoyed the novel for what it was, and it was a quick, nice way to spend my Saturday afternoon, but I do still hanker after Gibson’s earlier novels, they were fantastic.